Rutger de Vink is as tough as a Marine and as soft as a glass of Merlot. His family made their way to the United States from the Netherlands while a teenager. After leaving college to join the Marines and then working in telecommunications, Rutger pursued his love of agriculture with a wine apprenticeship and trips to Bordeaux & California. He was determined to find his own site to farm and make wine. Rutger ultimately settled in Virginia in 2004 creating RDV Vineyards on a hilltop in historic Delaplane, about 50 miles west of Washington, DC.